Quote of the day, part 2: Veteran’s Day

“Saying ‘Happy Veterans Day’ seems odd. How about this instead: I am sorry that you were ever asked to go try to kill people. I am sorry that the leadership of this nation sees fit, regularly, to send young adults whose frontal lobes aren’t even fully developed yet to other countries with tanks and guns (but without proper protective gear) in order for the rest of us to continue to live in an illusion of freedom on stolen land, and rich dudes can get richer making more bombs. I am sorry that poor kids and kids of color are aggressively recruited by the military, with a promise of job skills and a brighter future, only to be commanded to kill other poor people and people of color, and then return home to no jobs, no support and no help from the government for whom they fought. I am sorry that 22 veterans take their own lives everyday, meaning that since the start of the current wars, more soldiers have died from suicide than enemy fire. I am sorry that female soldiers are more likely to be raped by their fellow soldiers than they are to be harmed in combat, and that when they ask for help, they are told it’s an occupational hazard. I am sorry that we demand so much of soldiers and veterans, and do very, very little in return for them besides free meals at Applebee’s one day a year. Shame on us. May we never have cause for more veterans, not just because war is bullshit, but because we generally don’t deserve the sacrifices we demand of them.”

– Cristy Cardinal, a friend of a friend on Facebook (who gave permission to share her status)